by Robin Fiedler

After Thanksgiving bloating and Black Friday-weekend shopping shortfalls, employees return to work on Monday to surf the net and shop for gifts they still need to buy. In 2008, the National Retail Federation reported that on the Monday after Thanksgiving “55.8 percent of workers with Internet access, or 72.8 million people, will shop for holiday gifts from work.” 

Cyber Monday shopping from work is not a new observable behavior as NRF shows, “The trend of employees with internet access shopping from the office has continued to increase: in 2005, only 44.7 percent said they shopped online from work” compared to 56% in 2008.  Even though the increase may indicate that workers need a longer Thanksgiving Day weekend, which would include Monday off, the causes indicate otherwise.

Speculations about the reasons for shopping while at work vary: boredom, privacy from family to buy gifts, failure to find gift list items over the weekend, faster network speed, using lunch hour for online shopping instead of going to the mall, or simply because employees can. comScore claims, “The Cyber Monday phenomenon is driven primarily by online spending from work computers as people return to work after the Thanksgiving weekend and begin making their holiday gift purchases out of view of family members and from computers with ultra fast connections.”

Shoppers require the work environment to meet their Cyber Monday shopping needs. The most likely culprits are young adults and men. “According to the BIGresearch survey, 70.0 percent of young adults 18-34 with Internet access will shop at work. Additionally, men are more likely to shop from work than women (60.3% vs. 51.5%),” Kathy Grannis of the NRF writes. Clearly, men appreciate the ‘private’ time to buy their wife’s gift without her peeking over his shoulder, and young adults surely appreciate the high-speed internet connection they can’t afford at home.

Workers will spend a little more than half the workday shopping, and although work computers registered the majority of purchases, university computers helped fulfill shoppers’ wishes as well as home computers. comScore found that in 2008 “60 percent of dollars spent online on Cyber Monday came from work computers, with the balance coming from home and university computers.”

Many employers seem to be sympathetic to employees’ gift buying burden during the holiday season. “More than half (55 percent) also reported that their company permits workers to shop online, says a 2008 ‘Shopping on the Job: Online Holiday Shopping and Workplace Internet Safety’ survey conducted on behalf of ISACA, a global, nonprofit association of IT professionals.” And why not? The boss is probably finishing his or her shopping too.

With no cure in sight, and in fact the numbers on Cyber Monday on-the-job shopping increasing, it’s only reasonable that employers accommodate employees’ needs. And so, on Cyber Monday, I will be at work, but my phone will be on direct to voicemail. I’ll get back to you on Tuesday.

Footnotes

“Attractive Discounts Bring Deluge of Buyers to Retail Sites on Cyber Monday.” comScore. 4 Dec. 2008.

“Cyber Monday Online Retail Spending Hits Record $733 Million, Up 21 Percent Versus Last Year.” comScore. 27 Nov. 2007.

Grannis, Kathy. “Retailers Counting on Cyber Monday as Bright Spot of Challenging Holiday Season.” National Retail Federation. 24 Nov. 2008.

“Survey: Millennials’ Online Holiday Shopping Habits Put Employers at Risk.” ISACA: Information Systems Audit and Control Association. 13 Nov. 2008.

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Everyone in this house loves Halloween.  It’s such a fun holiday.  You get to wear a costume, have fun with friends, and collect lots of candy.  If you’re not the adult accompanying children on trick-or-treat, you get to answer the door and see all the neighborhood kids dressed up in their costumes.  What’s not to like?

Well, there’s one thing I don’t like about Halloween (besides those nasty little cardboard boxes of Dots):  kids who trick-or-treat but don’t bother to wear costumes.

That hasn’t been a problem in this neighborhood, but before we moved here, there were an awful lot of teenagers who would go around on Halloween begging for candy, without a costume or even a candy bag or pillowcase.  Come on, put on a mask already!

The first year this happened, I’d just say, “What?  No costume?” to the kids.  And I was a bit less generous in doling out handfuls of treats from the big bowl by the door.

The next year, I got creative.  Having taught in middle schools and high schools, I knew that teens enjoy sneaking a little candy during class.  “Jolly Rancher” candy is very popular among kids of this age; they’re portable, they don’t melt, and they last a long time.   And as a candy fan myself, I knew that Jolly Rancher makes cinnamon-flavored “Fire Stix.”  They’re red, just like the cherry, strawberry, and watermelon stix–but they taste more like an Atomic Fireball.  I was able to get a few bags of Fire Stix, and reserved those just for the costume-free teenagers.

When they came to the door, I tossed a nice handful of Fire Stix into their bags (or their hands, if they couldn’t even be bothered carrying a bag.)  “OOO, Jolly Ranchers!  Thanks!” was the inevitable response.

I’m pretty sure that they all got a big surprise the next day in the middle of math class when they unwrapped those Jolly Ranchers and discovered that these candies are not cherry-flavored.

Revenge, in this case, was not sweet:  it was spicy!

Happy Halloween!  I’ll be back Monday with more Weird Holidays and lots of coupons.

It’s a good thing I work from home.

A couple of weeks ago we had a sudden bout of cold weather–cold enough that we actually had to scrap the car windows before driving in the morning.  This is odd for our part of New Jersey in mid-October!  On the second day of the cold snap, my husband returned home about half an hour after he’d left for the day.  “I can’t drive this car to work,” he told me.  “One of the dashboard lights is on and I think it’s something critical.  You need to take it to the dealership.  It’s time for an oil change too.” 

After he took my car to work instead, I packed up my laptop and headed off to the car dealership with his two-month-old car.  The technician at the service desk listened patiently while I described the signal that was appearing on the dashboard:  “It looks like a horseshoe with an exclamation point on the inside.”

“That’s the tire-pressure indicator,” he informed me.  “When it’s cold, the air pressure in your tires will go down.  We’ll check it out and also do the oil change.”

Boy, did I feel stupid.  But who knew that this car was smart enough to let me know when the tires need air?

Fortunately for me, the waiting area of this dealership offered a free wi-fi connection, so I was able to get some work done while I sat there and tried to ignore the conversations among other car-repair customers and the overly-loud talk show on the TV.

I also fired off an email to the car manufacturer, letting them know that it would really help to have a page in the owner’s manual that shows all the dashboard indicator lights and their meaning.  That would save the service technicians a lot of time, I’d bet!

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They’re not the most attractive way in the world to stay warm in winter, but I confess:  I want a Snuggie.

I know that there’s been a good bit of Snuggie-backlash over the past year, and I’ve laughed at the Youtube spoofs as much as anyone else.  And truth be told, there’s nothing stopping me from stealing my husband’s bathrobe and wearing it backwards.  I’d get the same result.  But those infomercials have me hooked.

It gets chilly in the winter, here at my desk next to a floor-to-ceiling window.  Sure, I could close the drapes, but that would kill off all the natural light coming into the room–and I’d feel like I was working in a cave.

I’m not sure I could rock the leopard-print Snuggie, though.  I might have to stick to a solid color.

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by Robin Fiedler

Planning any holiday travel? Still looking for a cheap flight? Air travel is down from last year at the same time, but prices are increasing as I write this. Airline industry experts say last-minute holiday travelers are going to experience sticker shock. 

The price-comparison site that also features a flight search FareCompare.com ’s CEO Rick Seaney recommends buying your ticket before the end of October for the best holiday deals. He also notes which days not to travel on for “finding the cheapest flight around Thanksgiving and Christmas.”

Most expensive days - Wednesday before Thanksgiving and Saturday after Thanksgiving. Sunday before Christmas, Christmas Day, and the Sunday after Christmas (Seaney).

2009 Holidays - this year the airlines have added a $10 surcharge (luggage or no luggage) each way for traveling on peak days. Seaney notes, “The dates that will be affected by the surcharge this holiday season are November 29 - November 30, December 19, December 26 - December 27, and January 2 - January 3, 2010″ (Seaney).  Ouch! That’s an extra $20 added after the fare quote.

In the one-month period from September to October, typically cheap flights have increased 6 to 10%, reports Michelle Higgins in the NY Times. Higgins’ article dated Oct. 16 notes, “In recent weeks, some flights have risen even more. From New York, a round-trip American Airlines flight to Chicago that cost $354 on Sept. 14 was $540 on Thursday, a 52-percent jump, according to Yapta.com, which tracks fares.”

Air travel costs less than it did the same time last year, but last-minute holiday flight prices are not expected to drop. Air travel demand is down overall. The US Bureau of Transportation Statistics recorded that passenger travel decreased by 3.4% from July 2008 to July 2009, down by 2.4 million passengers. BTS adds, “July was the 16th consecutive month with a decrease in passengers from the prior year.” What does this mean for holiday travel prices?

Last year, airlines were not prepared for a decline in passengers, so prices dropped to fill seats. In 2009, airlines are too well-prepared. Flights in many top cities have been cut back drastically. Seaney estimates that in “the top 50 busiest cities there was an average drop in seats of 3.4% with 80,000 fewer seats this year than the day before Thanksgiving last year.”

Not every city was cut back though; airlines added flights to some areas. Seaney lists the winners and the losers. “The biggest loser with over a 23% city cutback was Delta Air Lines hub Cincinnati, closely followed by Hartford, Tampa and St. Louis. On the flip side, the big winner by a long shot was Milwaukee with a whopping 29% increase in seats.”

Just remember when you are deciding whether that airline fare is worth the price to travel to visit friends and family, it’s not a cheap holiday that counts. The trip is about the memories of being with friends and family on Thanksgiving and Christmas:  priceless. Whoops, guess I stole that from American Express! :)  Here’s wishing you the best holiday travel deals!

References

Higgins, Michelle. “Holiday Travelers Who Wait to Book May Pay More.” The New York Times. 16 Oct. 2009. MIT: The Tech Online Edition. http://tech.mit.edu/V129/N45/long2.html

Seaney, Rick. “Finding Cheap Tickets for Thanksgiving and Christmas Holiday Travel Season.” FareCompare.com. 10 Sept. 2009. http://www.farecompare.com/articles/holiday-travel-2009-guide-for-buying-cheap-holiday-flights/

Seaney, Rick. “Holiday Travel - Seat Cutbacks for Thanksgiving 2009.” FareComapre.com.  http://www.farecompare.com/articles/holiday-travel-flight-cutbacks-for-thanksgiving-2009/

United States. Bureau of Transportation Statistics. “July 2009 Airline Traffic Data: System Traffic Down 3.4% from July 2008.” Research and Innovative Technology Administration: US Department of Transportation. 16 Oct. 2009. http://www.bts.gov/press_releases/2009/bts048_09/html/bts048_09.html

COUPON TIME

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By Robin Fiedler

Halloween 2009 marks the end of Daylight Savings Time in the United States. Late Saturday night at 2 am (actually, very early Sunday morning), we turn back the clocks an hour.

The benefits of the Daylight Savings plan, when we turn the clock back an hour in the fall and forward an hour in the spring, remain controversial.  In 2001, a House of Representatives Subcommittee on Energy hearing speaker argued that the United States saves “1 or 2 percent of our total electric usage with increased Daylight Savings Time.”

Not only is energy use possibly affected, but Rick Kissell in Variety reports that Daylight Savings Time affects TV ratings, and a 1995 American Journal of Health study by Sarah Ferguson et al. showed shifting more daylight to busy traffic hours in the evening reduced traffic fatalities.

And so energy use, TV ratings, and traffic fatalities are all potentially affected, and some claim that Daylight Savings Time even affects retail sales. An Energy Star report claims, “there is some evidence that natural daylight can improve retail sales. A study published in 2003 and sponsored by the California Energy Commission looked at sales in 73 stores belonging to one retailer, 24 of which had a significant amount of daylighting. The study showed that the average effect of daylighting was to increase sales by up to 6 percent.”

Granted the Energy Star report applied to supermarkets, but the retail sales’ 6% increase conclusion were based on the 2003 California Energy Commission study “Daylight and Retail Sales” on how the consumer views color in daylight. “Researchers concluded that daylighting could boost sales wherever color is among the key selection criteria for products.”

A MSNBC 2008 article by Willow Duttge lists the winners and losers for Daylight Savings Time. The losers are the TV networks, because fewer viewers plop down in front of the TV while the sun is still shining. Golf and farmers win and lose because they may have an extra hour of daylight in the evening, but lose an hour of daylight in the morning. Winners are sporting goods, convenience stores, and retail sales with more daylight to attract customers to shop.

For Halloween, the winner is candy. Duttge says, “The Energy Policy Act of 2005 pushed the end of Daylight Saving Time into November, leaving that extra hour intact for Halloween.”

How will we celebrate Halloween 2009? We have an extra hour on Saturday night to enjoy the haunting affects of ghouls and goblins, or in other words to party. Or for those lacking sleep, we have an extra hour to snooze. Many may just prove the researchers right and use the extra hour for some shopping; it’s better than staying home and eating the leftover candy.

References

Duttge, Willow. “Will Daylight Saving Time Boost Profits?” MSNBC. 7 Mar. 2008. http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/23523332/ns/business-us_business/

“Facility Type: Supermarkets and Grocery Stores.” Energy Star. Jan. 2008. US Environmental Protection Agency. http://www.energystar.gov/index.cfm?c=business.EPA_BUM_CH11_Supermarkets

Ferguson, Sarah A. et al. “Daylight Saving Time and Motor Vehicle Crashes: The Reduction in

Pedestrian and Vehicle Occupant Fatalities.” American Journal of Public Health. 85.1 (1995): 92-95. http://www.ajph.org/cgi/reprint/85/1/92.pdf

Kissell, Rick. “Daylight-saving Dock Ratings.” Variety. 20 Mar. 2007. http://www.variety.com/article/VR1117961488.html?categoryid=1275&cs=1

United States. House of Representatives. Subcommittee on Energy. “Energy Conservation Potential of Extended and Double Daylight Saving Time.” 24 May 2001. Committee Documents House of Representatives. http://commdocs.house.gov/committees/science/hsy73325.000/hsy73325_0.HTM

COUPON TIME

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I’ve been collecting cookbooks for nearly twenty years.  I read them like some people read novels. In fact, my Mother’s Day gift a few years ago was this bookcase for my cookbooks.  It fits neatly into the corner of my kitchen and has room for all my favorite books.   However, until this summer, I had never tried cooking any recipe by Julia Child.

I credit the book (and subsequent movie) Julie and Julia for inspiring many home cooks to rediscover Child’s cookbooks, and the Youtube videos featuring clips of her cooking show are very popular.  But the whole idea of French cooking was somehow very intimidating to me, even though I am not afraid to use butter.  We go through at least a pound of butter a week around here–more if I’m baking!

I couldn’t resist, though, the recipe for Pork in Lemon Juice and Herb Marinade that a friend of mine posted on her cooking blog.  The recipe couldn’t be simpler, and the results are absolutely delicious.  I’ll be making it again tonight!

While I don’t think my family and I are ready to delve into Mastering the Art of French Cooking, I was happy to find a smaller volume called Julia’s Kitchen Wisdom, which focuses on basic recipes and techniques.  Who doesn’t need a book like that in the kitchen?

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When the weather starts getting chilly, I break out my slow cooker.

I’m sure I’m not alone in craving soup, stew, chili and pot roast as winter approaches.  And there’s nothing like a slow-cooked batch of spaghetti sauce with meatballs.  One pot full makes enough to feed my family of five for at least 8 dinners.

There’s nothing easier than getting dinner started in the morning, so that everyone comes home to the smell of a delicious slow-cooked meal–no matter how busy the day was.  And since slow cookers come in a variety of shapes and sizes, everyone is bound to find one that’s just right for their family.  BONUS:  some roaster ovens double as slow cookers, so you get double duty out of a single appliance.  In fact, all my slow cooking is done in a roaster oven–I have four of them, ranging in size from a giant one that will hold a 20-lb (or more) turkey, to a small one that will do a meal-size batch of beef stew.  Several times a week, at least one of them is busy in my kitchen!

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by Robin Fiedler

It’s a 21^st-century political, or nationalistic, twist on President John F. Kennedy’s “Ask not what your country can do for you, but what you can do for your country.” The “it” in this case is shopping.

Despite George Bush urging Americans to go shopping after 9/11 as a show of patriotism, he is not the originator of the concept. Kathy Roth-Douquet, co-author of AWOL: The Unexcused Absence of America’s Upper Classes from Military Service - and How It Hurts Our Country, notes, “There’s a reason why historically our government embraced the idea of the patriot as shopper. It stems from the Cold War competition with communism, and finding a way to make common cause between workers and capitalists.” 

The original celebration of a WWI cease-fire in 1918 later turned into honoring all veterans in the 1950’s. Scott Horton explains, “Originally, of course, it was Armistice Day, and it marked the moment of the 1918 ceasefire in the trenches of Europe, at 11:11 a.m. on the eleventh day of the eleventh month. As Veterans Day, the scope was widened.” Horton is a bit disparaging about the growing trend of shopping on Veterans Day. He adds, “All of that cheapens what is and should be an important commemoration…”

He’s right about the commemoration, but may not be about the cheapening unless we count all the retailers’ discounts and sales offered on Veterans Day. Many malls sponsor parades and veterans’ events at the same time as retail sales. As well, 2009’s Veterans Day falls mid-week, so shopping traffic may be light while deals may be sweet.

The US has 23.2 million veterans as of 2008, and of those, 5.5 million are listed with disabilities, according to the US Census Bureau, and the total benefits for veterans reached $84.4 billion dollars of the 2008 Federal Budget. Strong consumerism indirectly creates a healthier government, ideally increasing availability of funds for benefits. Yes, that means taxes, but it also means someone’s job, maybe even a vet’s job. The Census Bureau estimates, there are 10.4 million “veterans 18 to 64 in the labor force in 2008.”

More importantly, Facts for Features: Veterans Day 2009: Nov. 11 notes that 14.5% is the “percentage of owners of firms responding to the 2002 Survey of Business Owners who were veterans. Veteran business owners comprised an estimated 3 million” of the total business owners in the US. Then, of those 3 million vets who own businesses “nearly 7 percent of veteran business owners . . .were disabled from injuries or illnesses incurred during active military service,” according to the US Census Bureau News. That’s about 210,000 disabled vets with businesses who need our commerce, especially when economic times are uncertain.

I’m a realist, not a conservative or liberal. The idea of Buy Nothing Day is just as unreasonable as being too materialistic in our holiday shopping. Roth-Douquet says, “Do go shopping this Veterans Day. But thank a vet, too. And maybe consider doing more - give blood, recycle, plant a victory garden.” I say if you are at a loss on how to honor veterans on Veterans Day, then shop at one of those 3 million veterans’ businesses. You will directly give back to those who gave for us. Look up a veteran’s business on the net, and shop.

Footnotes

Horton, Scott. “Veterans Day 2007.” Harper’s Magazine. 12 Nov. 2007. http://www.harpers.org/archive/2007/11/hbc-90001665

Roth-Douquet, Kathy. “Shopping can be Patriotic, but Citizenship Requires More.” USA Today. 8 Nov. 2006. http://blogs.usatoday.com/oped/2006/11/shopping_can_be.html

United States Census Bureau. “Census Bureau Publishes First-Ever Reports on Veteran Entrepreneurs and Their Businesses” U.S. Census Bureau News. 3 July 2007. http://www.census.gov/Press-Release/www/releases/archives/business_ownership/010337.html

United States Census Bureau. “Veterans Day 2009:Nov. 11. Facts for Features: US Census Bureau News. 13 Oct. 2009. http://www.census.gov/Press-Release/www/releases/pdf/cb09ff-21_veteransday.pdf

COUPON TIME

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It’s almost time for my older son’s trip to Mississippi.  Along with a large group of students and school staff, he’s going to spend a week rebuilding hurricane-damaged homes by day and sleeping on an air mattress in a church gym by night. 

Due to airline regulations, they may each bring one checked bag and on carry-on.  The checked bag cannot weigh more than 50 pounds–and it has to contain enough clothes and toiletries for a week as well as an air mattress, blanket or sleeping bag, and a pillow.

He’s going to have to be really careful about what he packs.  Fortunately, there will be laundry facilities where he’s staying, so he won’t have to bring too many articles of clothing.  And we do have a nice BIG duffel bag; we know everything will fit in there.  Especially if I pack it.  I’m pretty good at getting a large amount of stuff into a small space.  He may have a little trouble getting it all packed to come back home, but that’s not my problem!

I hope he won’t be assigned too much homework during that week, because schoolbooks weigh almost as much as that air mattress–and that would make his bag overweight.  Then he’d have to choose:  sleep or Shakespeare?

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